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2003 C240 transmission issue

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Old Nov 24, 2017 | 12:59 AM
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1983 380SL, 2003 C240, 1964 Corvette, 1992 Corvette, 1956 Oldsmobile 88, 1953 Packard
2003 C240 transmission issue

I have a 2003 C240 non 4matic. Water from hurricane Harvey got high enough in my drive way to get in to my floor board so I was concerned that it could have gotten in to my transmission so I removed the drain plug and 2.5 quarts of black fluid came out but no water so I serviced the transmission with 2.5 quarts. I went to some oil change places to see if they could flush it but no one wanted to touch a Mercedes. Today after watching several U-Tube how to videos I tried to flush it myself. I hooked some tubing to the pressure side cooling line and placed it in a bucket when I started the car only about ½ a quart came out so I added 3 quarts and started it again, no fluid came out so I removed the drain plug and nothing came out I then removed the pan and no fluid was in the pan then I placed the dip-stick tool in the filler tube till it bottomed out and it reads over full with the engine off.All other automatic transmissions I have ever worked on the dip-stick tube leads straight to the pan but apparently not this one.I bought the car with 60,000 mi on it, Mercedes claimed it was sealed for life so I never messed with it the car now has 102,000mi on it and has no oil anywhere on the bottom of the car so I don’t know it could be low on transmission fluid.Is it possible that it is just that low on fluid, if I keep pouring fluid in will it eventually flow in to the pan, any thoughts?
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Old Nov 24, 2017 | 10:49 AM
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The ATF must be checked with the engine running.
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Old Nov 24, 2017 | 11:03 AM
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are you sure that you are adding fluid to the correct dipstick tube? The oil and ATF dipstick tubes are very close together and on many occasions I have seen people add transmission fluid (many quarts) to the engine and the transmission is bone dry.
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Old Nov 24, 2017 | 06:52 PM
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1983 380SL, 2003 C240, 1964 Corvette, 1992 Corvette, 1956 Oldsmobile 88, 1953 Packard
I know but what I am trying to figure out is why when I pour fluid in to it is why doesn’t it go to the pan, the pan is off at the moment. All other automatic transmissions from the 50’s to the 2000’s that I have worked on if you pour in fluid it goes straight to the pan. What I am hoping someone can tell me is do I have some kind of stuck valve or is this normal for this transmission and that it must have been extremely low and if I keep adding fluid that it will eventually flow out of some inner chamber and in to the pan.

Thank you,



RQ
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Old Nov 24, 2017 | 06:54 PM
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1983 380SL, 2003 C240, 1964 Corvette, 1992 Corvette, 1956 Oldsmobile 88, 1953 Packard
Yes, this car is one that doesn’t have a dip-stick for the engine oil, the only way to check it is by the computer. That makes it a pain when you change the oil, you buy two five quart containers you pour one in then you need to keep an empty one quart container around to measure out three ½ quarts from the second container.

Thank you,



Robert
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Old Nov 24, 2017 | 07:02 PM
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1983 380SL, 2003 C240, 1964 Corvette, 1992 Corvette, 1956 Oldsmobile 88, 1953 Packard
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Old Dec 1, 2017 | 05:39 PM
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if this is a 2003 c240, then i assure you that it has 2 dipstick tubes.. i have one of these cars in my possession at the moment and can even provide a picture if you need to see what I am talking about. You will need to remove the air filter box to see the lower-set ATF dipstick tube. The higher up one is for engine oil. Neither of these dipstick tubes have a dipstick in them for measuring, but they do offer a dipstick for checking transmission fluid level. I assure you that if you are continuing to pour fluid into the incorrect dipstick, that you are pouring it into the engine oil. If you add enough atf to the engine oil, you can potentially hydrolock your engine.
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